SCV Raw: From Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom

Newsom’s statement on the postponement of fee hikes by CSU Trustees

I commend Chairman Bob Linscheid and California State University Board of Trustees’ decision today to postpone a set of proposed fee hikes and choosing to explore other options that will address CSU’s funding issues while moving students towards graduation.

Over the course of the last ten years, tuition at the CSU system has tripled as state funding has been radically reduced. With the passage of Proposition 30 last week we have staved off dangerous cuts that would have guaranteed fee hikes and limited student access, but our work is far from done.

In choosing today to postpone the discussion of fee hikes, Chairman Linscheid and CSU Board of Trustees are sending a strong message to students and their families that we are serious about protecting access for all.

For more than a decade, California’s higher education system been held hostage by the volatility of the state's revenues. CSU, along with UC and community colleges, must find solutions that end the vicious cycle of drastic cuts and fee hikes.

Our higher education system and economy cannot meet its potential unless this catastrophic trend is reversed.

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